


The Bat, the Moth, and the Cat

by ProxyZee



Category: Batgirl (Comics), Catwoman (Comics), DCU (Comics)
Genre: Drama, F/M, Family Drama, Romance, Thriller
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:21:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24361273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProxyZee/pseuds/ProxyZee
Summary: Drury Walker is just beginning to settle into his new role as one of Gotham's costumed vigilantes when Barbara Gordon ropes him into a scheme to strike back against Lexcorp for an assortment of crimes against humanity and tax law. A daunting task, but perhaps a chance for Drury to step up as a hero. Even if it's still not entirely legal.
Relationships: Barbara Gordon/Drury Walker
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

"The moth signal? Must be serious," Drury thought to himself as he just finished his second hour of patrolling for the night. All he had to show for it was a twelve, no, thirteen. Or maybe it was?

Dru quickly shook his head. Just a kid stealing some wallets. One firm hand on the shoulder and a scary look in the kid's face from his scary green lenses and that kid was running with a small pile of wallets left behind him. Dru wasn't certain if that was all the wallets recovered, but it didn't matter to him. He had enough of punching kids in the face. So, he was glad to have a distraction in the form of his own brand of signalling despite the usual bad news it carried with it.

His wings carried him to the roof of the old henchmen bar that no one but him used any more. Lonelier than the GCPD, sure, but at least he had a place to think without any goons bothering him now that most of them had either retired after too many run ins with the infamous Bat clan or just ended up quitting after starting clans of their own intentionally or not. The ones that stayed in the game ended up relocating to grunt work for Lexcorp after the multinational corporation started giving Wayne Enterprises serious competition. There was a point in the past when Dru considered joining until some photographs his "girlfriend" (The details are still being ironed out) showed him in a desperate attempt to ward him away from the "evil, human rights violating, worker rights abusing, tax evading corp of evil."

Now, Wayne Enterprises may not be entirely innocent of that last part, but the photographs and multitudes of whistle blowers suddenly having a bad case of "Suicide by blender, two bullets to the head, cutting their own brakes, dunking their own heads in the bath, et cetera and et cetera" syndrome was enough to make Dru reconsider his career options. He just never thought it would lead him to patrolling his own little corner of one of America's worst cities. Let alone having his own signal. Despite that, he doubts he will forget the first sighting of that moth silhouette on a white circle in the sky. It was a surreal feeling at first. As if he was going to wake up at any moment. Until the pride had set in. There may be some parts of his new "job" he hates, money issues being chief among them, but he will always keep going just for that symbol.

"Hey, sweetie."

Well, the symbol and that voice. He turned his green moth helmeted head toward the source. Sure enough, there stood his “girlfriend” in the iconic black and yellow costume. Her pointy eared cowl was the first thing that got his attention. Same with Batman. It was a distinctive feature one could not help but immediately look to first. After that was always her masked face. Then the hair. Then the-

“Dru. Those aren’t my eyes.”

Awkwardly, he looked up to meet her green, warming eyes. Despite his lack of decorum she seemed more amused than offended. Especially, when he noticed her small, but present smirk.

“So, what is it? If it’s to talk about progress, there was only one pickpocket tonight. I swear.”

“It’s not about that,” she said with the smirk suddenly disappearing from her peach lips. She sucks in her teeth as she ponders on what to say next.

“And I don’t care about you only getting a single pick pocket. The city’s not really that dangerous any more.”

Dru shrugged.

“Sure, but I get to work in a good part.”

Batgirl took a deep breath. Then tried to smile with confidence. She had years of faking smiles for her father, her mentor, and her colleagues. Mostly, it worked with Dru, but he was able to read the context, and she only ever used the signal if it was serious.

“So, what happened?”

Her smile got a little bigger. It wasn’t a voluntary move.

“It’s not what happened. It’s something that might happen, but I can’t do it without your help.”

Dru raise a brow behind the helmet. Not that she could see it. Though his crossed arms conveyed the expectant mood he was in well enough.

“Something you can’t just ask the Bat about? Not even Night Boy?”

Gently, she taps her foot with a small bite of her bottom lip. She looks down while Dru waited for a response.

“No, because it’s illegal.”

Dru smiled behind the helmet. Despite that he also felt nervous. As amusing a she was finding this he was also concerned about her. Now he’s wondering if she had already gotten into some kind of trouble.

“Sounds like you’re in it deep.”

She shakes her head. A little defensively. While raising her hands.

“Oh, no! It’s not that. I just want to, you know, what I usually do. What you’re doing. Helping. Except this is a big thing. Not like muggers.”

Dru shrugged.

“Organized crime or some super, colourful crook like I was. Big whoop.”

Batgirl rubbed the back of her head. Her yellow gloved hand strokes her hair as she attempts to summon the courage to get her point made.

“It’s not either of those. It’s bigger.”

Now Dru was really interested. And concerned.

“What could be bigger than-” he said until he trailed away from speaking as his mind wandered from possibility to possibility. It was a moment until he realized what could possibly be bigger than some of Gotham’s biggest resident rogues.

“-no way. You’re crazy.”

She stifled a giggle with her hand. Dru looked downa t himself. He did not need to look any further on why she was laughing.

“S-sorry. It’s just-”  
“Yeah, yeah. My costume could use some work, but enough about me. Why don’t you tell me about this “illegal” thing you had in mind for Lexcorp.”

Batgirl’s eyes widened. Clearly, surprised at him already deducing what she was just about to tell him. Or at leasts he was hoping she was just about to tell him instead of bottling it.

“Oh, I guess it’s that obvious, huh?”

“As obvious as that tower,” Dru said as he pointed to the giant, imposing skyscraper marked with a giant, bright white “LC” in neon. A new feature of Gotham for the past three years and one Dru, as well as a little over a quarter of the city, were still getting used to if the polls for Lex’s endorsed pick in the mayoral campaign was any indication. Despite the middling performance on the campaign trail, the candidate was still doing surprisingly well despite his chief backer being as wrapped up in scandal after scandal as he is.

The scandals never making it to court probably helped. A big reason why Dru was not very enthusiastic.

“Sorry, Babs, but maybe you should put some more thought into this one. It involves thinking about what you wanted to do and deciding that maybe some things aren’t worth trying.”

Batgirl’s eyes widen again. Not out of surprise like before, but now out of irritation. Her nsotrils flare up and her mouth suddenly becomes much more animated. Dru could not feel surprised. He was used to these flare ups from her whenever she got really passionate about something he was hesitant about at best and completely against at worst.

“No way! You know what he’s done! I showed you evidence!”

“Yeah, and I ain’t the DA. Trust me, Babs. This is an idea you should drop and you know I’ve done stupid crap before.”

She was unwavering. With cold, determined eyes she makes her steadfast, determined stance clear. Dru knew better than to attempt to talk her out of something if she decides it’s going to be her personal project.

“This isn’t stupid, Dru.”

He sighs.

“You’re right. It ain’t. It’s suicidal.”

Batgirl sighs. Her expression changes to something softer now. It was an expression Dru wasn’t sure whether to smile or frown about. Because it was both endearing and all too terribly effective.

The dreaded “Sad Babs” look.

“Please, Dru. I have a plan I swear! I can’t do this alone and you know I can’t try and get the others to help.”

Dru sighed. It was one of defeat, but she wasn’t aware of that.

“I though the whole point was too try and get me to turn a new leaf because I’m almost completely certain that this plan of yours involves stealing or breaking something. You know? The kind of crap I ain’t supposed to be doing any more.”

Awkwardly, she rubs the back of her head again. Now she’s back to looking at the ground.

“Yeah, but this is still doing it for a good reason. So, technically you wouldn’t be not “turning a new leaf” as you put it. Not in my mind anyway.”

With crossed arms, and a hidden smile, Dru observed the just now beginning to ramble Batgirl as she prepared to make up excuses for him being her first choice. As cute he found these moments to be. He did not want to be away from his relatively new duty for too long.

“Besides, I can’t just ask Selina either. She’s-”

“Forget it,” said Dru as he held up a dark purple gloved hand.

“You had me when you did your sad face.”

With a shy grin, Batgirl looked to him with a hopeful gleam in her eyes.

“So… your place?”


	2. Chapter 2

“DAAAADDDDDD!”

Dru nervously smiled to no one in particular when the voice of his cacophonous, teen aged daughter reached his ears. He was just finishing replacing his costume with a pair of jeans and nothing else. The shirt would have to wait. Kitten hated going without attention for too long.

“What is it, my little mothums!?”

A little joke that only he really liked. Still worth the reaction.

“I TOLD YOU NOT TO CALL ME THAT!” screeched Kitten as he suppressed a giggle with a hand over his mouth.

“YOUR GIRLFRIEND’S HERE!”

Kitten yelling was far from a rare occurrence, but Dru got to be adept at noticing when it was “normal” yelling and “angry” yelling. The extra amount of force behind the voice was a clear indicator that the sight of Dru’s significant other did much to put her in a bad mood. She may still be quite unhappy at the relationship, but at least she was past the point of “trying to kill Daddy’s girlfriend phase”.

Marriage may change that story though. Thankfully, it never came up between them.

“I’m coming down!” he responded before rushing out of his room down the stairs to be met with the sight of his blonde, beautiful, and very distinguishable daughter thanks to the whisker like birth marks on her cheeks that inspired the name. His eyes looked away from the quietly enraged expression of his daughter toward the open front door where Barbara Gordon stood. Now out of costume and dressed in blue jeans, a simple white baseball shirt with short dark grey sleeves. Over her eyes were a pair of thin, rectangular rimmed glasses that made her look more like a professional than usual. Doubling that effect was the librarian like hair bun her auburn red hair was tied into. Dru was used to this kind of appearance. It typically signalled whenever she was trying to give herself a confidence boost. No surprise there.

Her plan was set to play out tonight. The large, grey duffel bag she carried on her shoulder showed that to him clearly. Dru was may have been nervous, but he felt that he was better at not showing it unlike what Barbara was unwittingly doing. Though it never really seemed to matter. Hardly anyone noticed and even if they did they were glad to see her get into that kind of mindset. It actually succeeded in making Dru feel a little more at ease.

“Babs! What a pleasant surprise!” Dru enthused while knowing it wasn’t quite a surprise.

“Hey, Dru!” said Barbara as she leaned in for an embrace while Kitten rolled her eyes at the sight with her arms petulantly crossed.

“I’ll get dinner,” she declared before laving the couple to their hug. While Dru’s daughter was away, he whispered into Barbara’s ear.

“You got it?”

“What do you think the bag’s for?”

“All of it?”

“I’m very meticulous, Dru.”

“Sorry. Just making sure.”

They stop them moment they hear the clatter of ceramic hitting a table followed by the additional clattering of utensils hitting the same surface. A signal that it would not be long before they would be called to the table.

“IT’S READY! HURRY UP!”

As Barbara slightly jolted at the voice of Kitten, Dru gently placed his hands upon her shoulders. She looks to him with a small smile as she places a hand on one of his own before they let go of each other and move to the dining hall where Kitten and two plates of steak, turkey legs, soy sauce doused rice, two peppered mushrooms, and all doused in gravy with a side of mint sauce. As appeasing as the meal looked, Dru showed some concern at the sight as Kitten had taken a seat.

“Um, honey. Aren’t there supposed to be three plates?”

At that, the blonde girl threw a small packet of potato chips to Barbara. A cheap brand of salt flavoured chips with barely a hint of salt on them. Barbara looked to Dru with an embarrassed frown.  
Past conflicts with his daughter over his relationship with Barbara may have been unproductive, but he was still not afraid to confront he rover this sort of treatment despite it being an objectively lower grade than tying her to an acid bomb.  
“Now, Kitten. I know you and Babs have problems but-”

A warm, soft sensation on Dru’s arm distracts him from his attempted defence of his younger beau. She looks to him with pleading eyes behind the frames of her glasses. He understood it completely. They had bigger thing s to be concerned about.

“It’s okay, Dru. I’m not really hungry anyway.”

As difficult as it was to do, he allowed this to slide with a deep sigh. Slowly, he nods before the two of them seat next to each other. Him with the full cooked meal and her with the stale snack. Bot of them had begun to eat their meals of varying sizes. It was a long and awkward dinner that Barbara had finished first. She spent the next few minutes sitting in silence while the two Walkers were still eating their cooked meals. This silence went on for so long that it seemed as though it would stay that way until the room was empty until Dru decided to try and make the atmosphere a little warmer.

“So, how was college, honey.”

“Fine,” said Kitten.

“Great” said Dru before he resumed to chewing on the gravy laden steak. That was it. The rest of the dinner was the same silence before the finish and the loading of the unwashed dishes into the sink. Kitten ignored her father and Barbara for the rest of the night. More interested in catching up on her favourite drama TV shows. Which proved to be quite convenient to them even with Kitten having little concern about what her father does during the night. The two went to Dru’s bedroom to review their plans for the night. A process that began when Barbara had taken a folded piece of paper from her pocket. A piece that was so big, Dru assumed it to be a map of something. He was soon proven correct when Barbara unfolded it in her hands and laid it on the bed.

At first glance, he immediately recognized it as a blueprint of the ground and second floors of the Gotham National Bank. He wasn’t sure whether he should feel his heart sinking or leaping and both for multiple reasons. He was in dire need of financial support, and this should scream opportunity, but his partner in crime was not exactly the kind of partner in crime you’d be hoping to have for a job like this. He was sure that she was just planning to get in and get out for one thing only, and he could not help but be relieved at that as well. Seeing Barbara of all people getting dragged down a little on the moral scale would make him believe that perhaps a relationship like this is not good for her sense of right and wrong. Especially, after she assisted him with that.

“As usual, the best way to get in is from the top, but the windows are alarmed. So,-”

“Cut the glass or re-route the current away from the building. I’ve done this before, Babs.”

Sheepishly, she grinned while pulling the zip on the duffel bag.

“See? Who needs Selina when I got the other best thief in Gotham?”

Dru wryly smiled as he observed Barbara’s hands digging into the bag.

“You mean second best?”

Barbara’s hands began to pull out what appeared to be a thin, creased and dark layer of material to Dru. She gives him a glance with an amused smirk.

“Oh, come on. You don’t fly a kite.”

Once she had taken the whole of the material from the bag, and placed it on the bed, it had become clear to Dru that this was the catsuit Barbara had said she would bring for this excursion. Their regular costumes were out of the question for obvious reasons. Dru had to admit to himself that this was not what he had in mind despite knowing what she was going to bring. He had pictured it to be a little more darker instead of being a midnight shade of blue. He also expected something more leather than what he could already guess was spandex. Very thin spandex.

“Not sure this’ll fit, Babs.”

Barbara pulls out the other, somewhat smaller catsuit from the bag. Clearly, her own.

“It just looks that way, but it’s very flexible.”

She grabs the arm of her own suit and stretches it. The arm is pulled to a considerable length before she allows it to snap back.

“See?”

With an uncertain sigh, he begins to get ready for the upcoming trip by pulling down his jeans just as Barbara lifted up her shirt. He seated himself on the bed and pulled up the suit feet first while she stripped to her plain, white underwear. He found it to be a tighter fit than the moth suit after getting the gloved sleeves over his arms and hands. He glanced down to observe himself, and he was pleasantly surprised to see that his well-built body fitted quite well in it. It was showing his trained muscles and biceps quite clearly without feeling like a tight squeeze. Too tight of a squeeze anyway.

It didn’t stop him from feeling vulnerable though.

“Told you it fits,” said Barbara as she finished pulling the neckline of the suit up. Dru saw the thin garb having the same effect on her as it had with him. He took in the sight of her athletic, muscled limbs and torso. Soon, he landed his view on the chest. Large, perfectly rounded, soft, and-

“Dru, I know you’re not used to seeing me in anything tighter than the costume, but we need to focus.”

Dru immediately raises his eyes up to see her bespectacled, bright ones. She has a proud, knowing smile daintily playing on her bright, red lips. The kind that made it clear she was already enjoying wearing that flimsy spandex.

“Sorry. Just wondering if you’re planning on stealing or seducing.”

With a wry grin she quickly scans him top to bottom before looking to him at eye level again.

“I could be asking you that if I hadn’t brought the gear.”

Dru felt quite flattered. Even if he felt some insecurity regarding another factor other than his build alone.

“Strong words for a guy nearing fifty.”

With a reassuring pat on his shoulder, Barbara smiles to him with the supporting smile he was sued to seeing back before their relationship had even become intimate. Back when they went through their first few reluctant team ups, and she discovered that there was little to really hate about a man self-employing as a punch bag in the service of Gotham’s wealthier criminal element while raising a daughter by himself. He was certain that animosity was there at the beginning, but it didn’t take too long to dissipate and make way for mutual respect, then team work, then friendship, then… this as hard as it still was for him to believe.

“A nearing fifty guy who’s not afraid to dress up like a big purple moth and still make something of a life here for his daughter even if she hates me. Plus, you work out a lot. There’s that too.”

Not the first pep talk he had gotten from her. Probably not the last either, but it still never failed to make him feel more esteemed as a man who’s doing something he hoped was worthwhile in life now that hew as close to potentially having the infamous “mid-life crisis”.

That though caused him to closely observe his younger, beautiful girlfriend, then the other beautiful young woman in his life as he looked to the door and saw it open with Kitten’s petite form entering. She looks to both of them with a mildly confused look.

“I thought you were just patrolling again?”

There was a brief silence between the three. Awkward, but brief.

“I kinda, sorta am, honey. It’s a little more… covert.”

Kitten shrugged. Unimpressed. She places a bowl of coconut ice cream on top of the cabinet beside her before leaving.

“I told you it’s a mid-life crisis.”

Dru and Barbara exchange looks. It was clear to her that Kitten’s departing statement had some effect on Dru and not in an encouraging way.

“Dru, trust me. You are totally hot.”

With a small, uncertain smile. He looks to himself.

“Still feeling kind of naked.”

With a grin, Barbara reaches into the bag again, and pulls out a metallic belt lined with small tubes and pouches.

“That’s what this is for.”


	3. Chapter 3

Dru could recall when he had waited for Kitten to have fallen into sleep before he would sneak out most nights in Moth getup that was quite a bit more colourful and “ridiculous” or so he was told so much by so many. That was the point, but the constant criticism ad the following reluctance to be associated with the older version of Killer Moth led to the move to dark purple and subtle green with a bit more of an armoured design. It stayed that way when he realized it was more the action that got attention and less the costume. Especially when there already so many other brightly coloured crooks like him following the trend. Some nights they even did his job for him.

Exact opposite of the garb he was now currently wearing in tandem with the commissioner's daughter as they drove down a well-lit street in Gotham’s Business District. A lot of hustle and bustle, but the grey maintenance van Barbara brought was too common a sight to be worth much attention. The drive was quiet. Both of them were too absorbed in thinking about their own expectations for the plan. They were both clear on what to do once they reached their target. He would check the window and she would check the wires. 

At first, Dru wasn’t certain about her having that part of the job until she proved she knew how those kinds of alarms worked when she told him all she knew about them. Which was pretty much everything. That knowledge coming from Catwoman rather than Batman was a surprise. It seemed to only make a tiny bit more sense when she explained that she was only taught the basic alarm disabling. Bank breaking was not something her mentor had in mind for any of the capes within his group. Yet, he was able to get into places with equal, if not, higher levels of security from what he heard within the circles of rogues he used to be involved in. Barbara explained that he had “trust issues”.

Considering the circumstances, it seemed that eh was not the only one.

“Here’s the spot. Try and pretend you don’t have a moth signal for tonight.”

Dru chuckled at the suggestion as the van made it’s way into an alley. Just a few buildings away from their destination.

“I’ll try, but you probably shouldn’t have mentioned it.”

The couple remove the seatbelts away from themselves before Barbara opens the glove compartment. Her spandex laden, slender fingers move inside and pulled out two pieces of dark spandex that seemed equally as thin as the catsuits, but much smaller. She takes one of them from her and uses the other to present it to Dru. It wasn’t entirely clear to him what it was at first until he adjusted his eyes in the dark to see the outline of a thin, somewhat oval shape in her hand. The only opening it seemed to have was the large, rectangle shaped hole. Dru had worn enough of these in his delinquent teen days and infant phase of his criminal career to recognize it as a simple ski mask coloured the same dark blue as their skintight suits were. Though he could not say that he wore one made of spandex before.

“Put it on. You’re still supposed to be a hero, recall?”

Wordlessly, he takes it and pulls it over his head while Barbara follows suit with her own. It was a tight fit, but not suffocating. The mask hugged his face so much that the shape and most details of his nose and lips were easily visible as if painted over. He looks to the side and sees the redhead just finishing with adjusting her own mask. He found that it had the same tight effect on her face as it did with him. The top of her head was still topped with the bun shape despite it being under cover. That along with the glasses she still wore made appear as though she was a librarian moonlighting as a ninja using her skills for thieving.

It was an unconventional way to look attractive, but Dru could scarcely think of her being in anything more tantalising apart from the various kinds of lingerie she wore during some of their intimate moments. Both gentle and rough.

“Let’s move,” said Barbara while Dru wondered if she noticed his staring. The now masked young woman picked up a large, dark backpack from the floor beneath her and secured it behind her while Dru picked up the same duffel bag she had brought earlier and wore it over his shoulder.

They left the van before Barbara locked it with the electronic key. She then placed the key inside a pouch on her utility belt before she and Dru made their way toward the top of a newsagents through the use of a grappling gun secured around Dru’s belt. He aimed it until he felt comfortable enough in his shot to pull the trigger as the gun made a loud click followed by the whirring of the soaring line. It reaches over the ledge and once it hit the floor, Dru pushed the retraction button. Soon, he felt a hard impact just as he also felt a soft embrace from Barbara as she wrapped her body around him. At first, he assumed she just wanted to be affectionate. A way to keep him on the up. Until he realized that she wasn’t intending on releasing him.

“You have your own don’t you?”

“Oh, come on, Dru. Be a gentleman,” Barbara teased with a smirk playing on her thinly masked lips. Dru smiled back before he pressed the retract button after he wrapped his arm around her waist. The sudden flying sensation sent Barbara into a mild fit of giggling that was quite the pleasant music to Dru’s ears. The pair climbed up to the roof with careful silence before they rushed toward the ledge ahead of them while Dru placed the gun back into the holster on his belt. They had their own approach in navigating the various surfaces sprawling from neighbourhood to neighbourhood toward the bank. Barbara enjoyed putting on a show with her acrobatic movement and graceful body flips and hops Dru was so used to seeing. 

He used to be amazed by it, but now he had seen so many others do it and her do it for so long that most nights in Gotham was like going to the circus. He supposed he sort of fitted within that circus as well. Though he was only suited to make the mundane, but effective running and jumping motion. Far from being flashy, but he at least had enough strength in his legs to keep him only just barely behind his partner. This sort of mutual workout between them would always leave one of them gasping for breath harder than the other. Something Dru had always noticed with amusement. He was not trying to hide it when it showed on his lips as they reached the top of Gotham’s biggest bank as Barbara briefly knelt down with her hands on her knees for a couple of deep, sharp inhales before raising herself back up for more regulated breathing. Dru may have been getting progressively more prone to running short on air sooner and sooner, but it was clear their roles should be reversed.

“You really don’t have to do that, Babs.”

She moves her arms up and performs a side bend for each side before sighing with delighted anticipation as she eyes the skylights.

“And make myself get rust? You enjoy seeing me put on a show anyway.”

He could not deny it. He did. Though her acrobatics were not as captivating to him as her shapely, soft, and almost irresistible buttocks she now presented to him. They were even more cruelly seductive whenever she did her stunts as they had a tendency to jiggle.

Dru thought of downplaying her assumption, but it was a little hard for it to be seen as an assumption once he felt the suit tighten on his crotch. Then the feeling of the fabric getting further away from him, but somehow he was still making contact. Awkwardly, he looks down. Now regretting not suggesting something different for their bank breaking garb even despite enjoying it being on her. Barbara was too fixated on the circuit box beside the access door. She quickly steps toward it while removing her backpack as Dru awkwardly followed behind her while glancing side to side. Desperately, he tried to think of anything other than Barbara’s dark and tightly hugged form.

“Can’t believe I haven’t done this before,” whispered Barbara as she crouched in front of the panel covered alarm. She takes out a home-made decoder that was really just a circuit board with a number pad and loose cables. Along with it, she took a small, thin flash light that could easily vanish in her hand if she closed her palm. With both in each hand, she stands back up and places the flash light in her mouth by pushing it against the spandex over her lips. She presses the on button with her free hand and then her eyes widen at the sight she was seeing. A panel less secure than it should be.

“Uh, Dru? Could you check the skylights?” she asked as she took the flash light out of her mouth. Slowly, she set the decoder to the floor while Dru quietly looked to the glass entrances while being glad to be away from her considering his “condition”. He checked one, then two. Both seemed normal to him. Then he looked to the third. That was when there was a problem.

“Uh, Babs?” he called out as he knelt down in front of the skylight. Barbara opened the panel and observed the wiring inside. There was already a decoder placed inside. All the wires she needed to re-arrange already re-arranged. She slams the top of the panel with a grunt.

“Damn it!” she hissed. With a sigh. She places her tools back into the backpack before putting it back on as she walks toward Dru. With the same amount of disbelief as he felt when she looked to the skylight. Now seeing that it was clearly not intact.

“No way.”

“Looks like someone beat us tot he punch,” said Dru as they both examined the large, person sized hole neatly cut into the glass. Beneath it was almost completely dark save for the small amount of dim lighting inside coming from the lights of other buildings across the street from the building.

“I can’t believe this,” said Barbara without bothering to hide her dismay.

“Hey, since someone probably thought this up sooner than we did. Maybe we should try it another night?” Dru suggested as he hoped Barbara wouldn’t look down on his side.

“No way!” she asserted as she glared to him with determined, passionate eyes. Dru knew that look. Once she gets that fire, there’s little anyone can do to talk her out of it.

“We came here for something to help us pin whatever we can on him. I don’t care if it’s missing the quarterly tax. As long as we can prove it.”

At that, she stands up and marches to one of the small, spinning turbines as she removes the backpack again. She takes out a large wrap of cable wire to tie onto it before she carries the wire toward the skylight. Dru shies away from her as he raises his hands in a shrugging gesture.

“Come on, Babs. We don’t even know if whoever did this is still here.”

“And what if they’re not. Besides, there is no “Whoever” only one person leaves a clean mess like this behind. If she’s here. She can be reasoned with.”

Dru sighs in defeat as Barbara drops the wire down through the hole. She holds her hand out to him expectantly. He sighs again as he wordlessly opens the duffel bag and hands her a pair of night vision goggles.

“And if she’s not in a talkative mood?” he asks as Barbara removes her glasses, places them within one of the pouches of her utility belt, and secures the goggles over her head.

“I doubt she’s here for corporate espionage. She’ll let us do our thing if we’re not in the way. If she’s already gone, even better.”

Barbara takes a glance down the hole.

“Don’t forget. No names,” she instructed before securing her grip on the wire.

Dru watches as she slides down the wire. Hesitantly, he places his own goggles over his head and sees the world now shaded over with bright and dark green depending on the object. He looks down at the hole to see that Barbara had safely landed. She looks up with a beckoning wave. Nervously, Dru slides down the wire. Slower than she did.

His spandex clad feet silently hit the floor. He takes a careful glance of the bank lobby. In search for the earlier intruder. He soon caught sight of something more interesting than the lack of any other presence beside their own.

“Looks like she already got the vault open.”

“Good for us I guess,” said Barbara. Bitterly.

They enter the vault with relief at seeing the lights not being on. They take note of the deposit boxes surrounding them while Dru made sure to try and make a special effort in keeping his attention away from the multiple piles of cash on the tables. Barbara looks to the only open box in the room. She quickly moves to it, and examines its ID number. Her response to identifying it was to place her hands on her bun in distress.

“No, no! This is it! Why would she take it!”

Dru raises a brow behind the goggles in curiosity.

“You didn’t tell me. How exactly did you know it was this box that had whatever dirty laundry is in it?”

The disappointed redhead sighed and turned to look at Dru with awkwardness hidden behind the mask and goggles. His arousal had subsided significantly now much to his relief.

“I, uh, kind of paid a visit to his accountant.”

Dru crossed his arms expectantly as he waited for her to elaborate.

“And?”

Nervously, she rubs the back of her head.

“I got it out of him. Isn’t that all that matters?”

“Not if you think it could have consequences.”

She sighs before shyly crossing her arms over her chest.  
“Well, I didn’t hit him or anything like that.”

Dru knew there was more. It was obvious.

“But…?”

She sighs again. With more than a hint of frustration.

“I hung him upside down from the top of his place. It sucked. For him I mean, but it had to be done, and he came out of it okay.”

Dru smiled under the mask. He wasn’t sure whether to be impressed or concerned in case this was something her mentor would have little approval for.

“You can be pretty scary on occasion, you know that?”

Her lips form into a smirk as she looks to the way they came in.

“Well, I do learn from one of the scariest guys in Gotham. Let’s get out of here. Maybe we can talk to Selina and find out what’s going on.”

“Talk to me about what?”

Dru and Barbara felt a shiver down their spines as they heard the familiar, oozing seductive voice. A voice that was clearly in the same room as them. Hesitantly, they looked up to see the familiar sight of the latex cat suited, and cat ear hooded vision of Selina Kyle. Or Catwoman as she was famously known as. Her face was pale and beautiful like a perfect marble sculpture. Her lips painted in a complementary dark red and her eyes partly hidden behind ruby coloured goggles. Tufts of messy, dark hair peeked out from her cat eared hood.

She drops from the ceiling and causes them to stagger back in alarm. The silence of her landing impressed them both. Her catsuit hugged her form tightly. Her large, soft breasts were perfectly outlined by the suit including her hardened nipples. Dru quietly groaned. Just as he was getting over looking at Barbara.

The burglar carefully examined them, from Barbara to Dru. She licked her lips before widely grinning.

“And just when I thought tonight would be boring. Not the Bat, but you’ll do.”


	4. Chapter 4

Drury Walker may have met Selina on far too many occasions for him to count in both professional and non-professional capacities. Never as an intimate encounter. She had always viewed him as a colleague at best, and a mildly amusing joke at worst. Though not one that she was above employing for whenever she wanted to have a night of “fun” without desiring to tangle with Gotham’s caped crusader. Moth was not alone in the criminal underworld when it came to his attraction to the woman though he was less ambitious than most when it came to trying to make something from it. Once, he had asked her out after a couple of jobs together, and the kind smile she gave him as she let him down gently was something that he always kept etched in his memory. Mainly because unlike many others she didn’t laugh.

She may have had a reputation to keep moth free, but she at least gained some respect for him over their working relationship to see more than just the costume. He liked to think of it as him getting a little further than most. The ones who just received her scorn anyway. Of course, their relationship ended when he went straight. He honestly never thought he would encounter her again even during a patrol mainly because he always figured she’d stay out of his corner in favour of Batman’s. So, seeing her here out of his corner as well as Batman’s was a bit of a surprise. Not least because she was seemingly here for the same thing they broke in for. 

“So, since you to probably didn’t come here for easy cash or any of the jewels in the boxes, I suppose you want this,” said the latex clad cat burglar as she held a small, dark USB drive between her long, sharp latex covered fingernails. Her other hand was confidently placed on her hip as she awaited an answer.

“What are you doing here? Why do you have that?” Barbara impatiently asked.

“Ah, the usual questions,” a bemused Selina said while she rolled the USB drive between her nails.

“Because I’m being paid to do a maid job, honey. And I don’t recall any back up being mentioned when I took this gig. So, I’m guessing I’m going to have to throw some punches. Or you could make it easy on yourself, and walk out of here.”

Dru knew Barbara too well for that kind of deterrent to have an effect. It’s not like she wasn’t used to tangling with Selina so he could only see this going one way. He dreaded it.

“We’re here for the drive, Selina. I don’t care how much you’re getting. After what Lexcorp has done, they deserve this more than you deserve however much they’re paying.”

Selina’s red, luscious lips curved into a smile. It was the sort of answer she was hoping to hear. Dru nervously braced himself by getting into a fighting stance. Not that he felt he had much of a fighting chance against this woman. He may have had more than his fair share of run-ins with the Batman just as she had, but he relied more on gadgets than extensive martial arts training like she and her vigilante rival have. However, he did have the advantage of having a decent amount of strength, experience, a utility belt, and last, but not least, his much more classically trained girlfriend at his side.

Overall, he felt pretty confident with their chances. He saw Selina’s USB holding hand reach toward her waist. He saw Barbara’s own hand reach for her own. He decided to do the same. They did nothing for just a moment, but it was a moment that felt too long to be a moment.

“I’ll only ask you this once, hand it over.”

There was that smile again. Bigger. Anticipating. Dru wondered if Barbara could read the situation as well as he could. There was no way she thought verbal warning was going to work.

“Even if you’re new here, you should have heard of me, kid. So, I’m gonna assume you are and go a little easy on you.”

At that, Barbara shielded her goggled eyes with her arm just as Dru did the same. Both threw handfuls of small, breakable pellets at the floor from pouches on their belts while a bang followed by a sharp, ringing sound screeched into their ear drums. Dru had only caught a tiny speck of light at the corner of his vision that had vanished quickly just as he noticed the rising mist from the same place in his vision. The ringing had grown more faint, and he felt confident enough to movie his arm out of the way for a clear view of the smoke filled vault.

He could see no trace of Selina. Maybe it was because of the growing wall of smoke, but he could not even see a faint outline or silhouette. He felt a hand grab onto his arm, and pull him away from where he stood with urgent vigour. He felt himself pulled away at first before he went along in the direction Barbara pulled him in with trust. He found himself getting farther away from the smoke as they both left the through the way they had entered. He turned behind to see the smoke slowly begin to seep out of the vault. The sight of Barbara throwing a shuriken toward the scanner beside the imposing, metallic vault door made Dru smile.

He felt a sense of pride as he watched scanner erupt into spark as the vault door began to close by itself with a slow, grinding moan. He kept a hand on his belt in preparation for anyone or anything to emerge beyond the smoke in an attempt to escape, but no figure had been seen as the closing was completed with an echoing slam. Now at ease, he move his hand away from the belt and looked to his spandex clad girlfriend with a smirk.

“So, should we let Gotham’s finest take care of this?”

Barbara turned her head toward him with a faint smile behind her mask.

“No drive, but I’m sure the station shouldn’t be too much of a problem.”

“It won’t? How about me?”

The duo looked up to find the source of the voice. Both were surprised by a falling body clad in dark as the figure made a swiping motion toward Dru followed by a thrusting kick toward Barbara. A hiss escaped Dru’s mouth as a sharp, lingering sting swept across his left arm. His right hand gripped the source of the sensation in a desperate attempt to dull the pain only to unwillingly release it when he found his feet no longer touching the floor before he fell down on his back. Hard.

Amidst his quiet groaning, he heard several grunts of two varying kinds beside him coming from exertion. He turned his head to see the two masked women currently engaged in acrobatic combat against each other with several blocked strikes and dodges already having taken place. Shortly, he recovered and got back to his natural, two feet on the floor stance before making a charge towards the burglar when her attention was too focused on her opponent to notice his attack from behind. His arms wrapped around her waist, and pulled her close against him.

She struggled a little bit, but his strong, muscular arms kept her in place. She writhed around with vocal strain while Barbara approached the two of them with a preparatory fist. Dru was doing well in keeping the cat themed villiainess in place. What he was not doing well with however was keeping his own arousal as restrained as he was doing with her. Her body continued to writhe in his grasp as she pushed her hands down on his arms.

Babrara continued to approach them while the burglar made a sharp gasp. Her head looks down behind her. He wasn’t completely certain, but he was sure there was a faint smirk playing on her lips.

“Well, well. Did you bring a gun to this heist, Buffy or are you just happy to make a closer acquaintance with me,” she teasingly asked while grinding her shimmering, latex coated buttocks onto Dru’s growing and heated expression of his lust. As much as he resisted, he could not resist letting the small grunt of pleasure escape his mouth. He was only distracted by the sound of Selina’s own, more aggressive grunt as he noticed her legs raise in front of her with a forward kick. A double kick that sent his partner stumbling backward to the floor before his grip was loosened thanks to her following attack: driving her sharp, silver claws into Dru’s arms. The artificial claws drive through his flesh before pulling out while he released her in an uncontrollable reflex from the sharp, sudden, powerful pain.

Dru staggered back before receiving a low roundhouse kick to the gut. He kneels down with a hand clutching it before Selina immediately turns her attention to the recovering Barbara. The masked redhead narrowly dodges a flying kick from her now free opponent before responding with a roundhouse kick aimed to the mid-section. Selina sucks in her belly and leans back to make that kick a close miss on Barbara’s part.

Dru kept himself kneeling on the floor. Too busy inspecting the damage his arms sustained. Not just from the dug in claws, but from the earlier swipe as well. He could see his own, bleeding wounds in the drab green of night vision. The small holes from the digging, and the five, large, bleeding swipe marks shaped in jagged lines. His arms were in pain, but not enough to make it unbearable to move them. He looked to the two combating women, and tried his best to think through the pain. His thoughts turned to what he knew he already had, then he immediately dug into the duffel bag, and withdrew a dark grey, pointy barrelled gun. He aimed it with both hands, one on the trigger and the other keeping a tight hold on the magazine ahead of the grip. He takes careful aim as the fighting continued. Feeling very grateful to be wearing night vision goggles right now.

He noticed Barbara stopping when she noticed him aiming. His breath hitched when he saw the upcoming swinging leg from Selina.

“Is that your-”

A swift kick to the side of her face interrupted her. Barbara was dazed enough for Selina to make a reach for the straps of her backpack. A reach that became a successful restraining manoeuvre. Selina’s gloved hands wrapped around the straps like a vice and pull on them to bring Barbara toward her. Dru sees a moment to act in haste as the burglar makes a sudden move to turn both herself and her newly acquired hostage around. Barbara sees what lay ahead of her, and raises her hands up pleadingly in response to that sight.

“No, don-”

The trigger was squeezed and Barbara’s instruction was cut short by the splatter of a white, silky substance sticking to her. Much of her upper body was encased. Selina backs away from her restrained opponent with a small, victorious smile. Barbara may have been masked, but Dru could still see the frown on her lips. 

Her struggling attempts to escape the silky cocoon wrapped around her made Dru nervously smile. He wished he was not, but the atmospheric awkwardness and the sight of Barbara trapped by the same kind of substance he used to trap her in so often. He supposed it was partly the irony that made him react to his mistake with such a sign of amusement.

Ashamedly, he could see that her frown got bigger. His attention looked to Selina’s face. Her victorious smile was now gone, much to his surprise. She looked to him with wide eyes, and, a frown bigger than Barbara’s with bared teeth.

“Wait… Moth? I’ve been rubbing my butt on Moth!?”

Dru could not help but feel a little embarrassed. The next shot from the gun was immediate. He hoped she would be distracted enough to keep her from continuing to make her less than pleasant surprise clear. Selina successfully dodged the oncoming silk ball with a quick side step before she made the moth gun her main target. Dru recognized the long, dark whip she withdrew from her hip belt. He tried to prepare himself, but he was surprised by the sudden trike against his magazine gripping hand. The sting made him release the gun from his grip and hear it clatter on the floor.

Nervously, he raised his fists and braced himself as she rapidly approached him. Running at first, then performing a somersault ending with an aerial, descending kick. In an impressive display of agility, Dru moves away from the spot he stood in with a backward movement to the side. Unfortunately, he was not so agile when that kick was followed by a spinning kick to his cheek after she had landed perfectly while balancing on one foot. He recoils from the sudden, burning ache on the side while rubbing the spot that absorbed the impact. He was not certain, but a fracture would not come as a surprise.

The pain on one side of his face had soon become a mere distraction when another, sharp ache struck him on the side of his ribs. Another kick. With growing frustration, he makes a reach into a pouch and smashes a few smoke pellets onto the floor. Soon, both he and her were engulfed in smoke. Not that it stopped her from successfully giving him a strike with her whip on the shoulder. A searing, inflamed kind of pain. Certainly, the worst he had felt so far in this match. As the smoke grew thicker, he started to wonder if he had made the right decision. He could now no longer see her, but perhaps, he hoped, she could no longer see him either.

“Dru! At the back!” Barbara called out desperately. He turns behind to see the faint, dark shape of a cat-eared woman glide toward him in a downward projectory with one leg seemingly aimed forward. His immediate response was to raise both arms and aim them toward the approaching body. Once his hands made contact, he used all the strength he could muster to grab and throw the body to the floor. He heard a small thud followed by a soft, feminine grunt. He had eyes on the dark shape for a brief moment before he saw it slink away further into the smoke.

He grew increasingly nervous. Despite having finally made some sort of hit on her, he was beginning to regret using the smoke pellets now that he could see that he could not see her at all. Cautiously, he slowly paced his steps as he tried to navigate through the expanding, thick mist. His movements were silent, and so were hers. He hoped that he would soon receive further instruction from Barbara at some point presuming Selina didn’t stay within the smoke. He doubted that however. He did not know her to be the kind to not learn from mistakes.

Realizing that just moving and keeping his attention to one direction would not serve him well, Dru stopped and slowly turned himself in a full circle repeatedly. Expecting her to make a move at any moment. His muscles tensed, and he tried his hardest to keep his breathing suppressed. The wait was quiet, agonizingly so.  
He thought of calling out to Barbara to ask if she could see the cat burglar, but he knew better. She’d be able to find him if he had done so regardless. So, he waited and turned. With fists formed and arms raised up, he waits while continuing to turn. Anticipating any sight of anything even remotely looking like a person. This preparation had gone on for what Dru was certain was a few minutes though it was probably only just a couple. He continued his circular surveying for another couple of minutes. It was still quiet. Suspiciously quiet.

Eventually, the wait had become a strain. Dru was nervous about taking risks, but he could feel the urge to open his mouth and take in a lot more air than he’s been getting since this routine started. Eventually, boredom had gotten to him. He took a sharp inhale, and decided that it would be an ideal way to draw her out even if he was hardly prepared for it.

A moment had passed and there was no pounce. No appearance. Dru had thought back to the years he had spent a good portion of in collaboration with Selina. All the impressive displays of talent and skill she presented. All that he had recalled, and he responded to that trip his mind took with amusement. He sighs in relief before confidently strolling out of the smoke and continued walking toward the still silk spattered Barbara. She was still writhing her arms around. Perhaps hoping or thinking she was causing at least a little bit of damage to her bind. He approached with an amused chuckle.

“You should know better by now that just struggling won’t work.”

It was almost impossible to tell, but he just knew from the quick turning of her head toward him that she was giving him daggers for eyes right now.

“Just use one of your dissolving pellets!” she snapped. Dru held his hands up in a calming gesture.

“Alright, alright, just hold still.”

He took a pellet out of the duffel bag and threw it to the silk. The pellet burst into a pale liquid that acted quickly in melting the silk around her body. Barbara's movements became less and less restrained until she was finally able to move her arms freely as the silk completely melted away from her. She lets out a deep sigh of relief before looking to Dru. With some choice words to say about him, he was sure.

“You brought it, really? Your own gadget?”

Nervously, he stuttered a little before attempting to explain himself.

“I-it’s my trusty gun! It’s gotten me out of all sorts of hang ups!”

“That gun could have gotten you into a hang up! You’re supposed to not be Killer Moth tonight! What if they find this stuff!? She knows who you are now!”

Her arm movements became much more animated and driven by emotion. He could not blame her. Not just for not being able to acquire the drive, but also due to his decision to bring one of his signature items along on what was meant to be a covert operation. Though he felt that it could be worse. Selina may have figured him out, but she would not spill out details that could implicate her as well other than to whoever may have employed her. Plus, the dissolving pellet had taken care of most of the work already.

“She’s not going to tell anyone who doesn’t already know she was gonna be here.”

“No? Then what about the cameras!?”

“You can just take care of them yourself if she hasn’t already can’t you?”

“That’s not the point!” she yelled with a frustrated raising of her hands while her elbows bent.

“I shouldn’t have to erase the footage, and take the hard drive, but I’m going to have to now because you decided to bring your stupid moth gun!”

Dru fell silent. Barbara turned on her heels and angrily grumbles to herself in a low pitch tone as she stomped away. Quietly due to the lack of heavy apparel being on her feet. Awkwardly, Dru rubbed the back of his head while feeling himself slowly filling with regret.

“Well, you used to like the gun.”


	5. Chapter 5

"Come on, Babs. You're not gonna be like this all night. Let alone for a week," declared a calmly smiling Dru as he was leisurely leaning back in the front passenger seat of the maintenance van while Barbara drove with silent dissatisfaction with the frown to show it. The drive had been quiet up until this point when Dru had decided to try and get her to hasten the end of the silent treatment.

"Look, I'll lock up the gun. I'll try my best not to bring it out again. For stuff that's not Moth related I mean."

Still nothing. With a sigh, he leans further back and watches the slow moving traffic ahead while eagerly anticipating a return to home. To be met with the usual welcome he would get from Kitten. No doubt to him that it would be a warmer interaction than what he was getting with his partner right now. He considered trying to get her to open up more, but he had this sort of experience with her enough to know that it would bear very little fruit. So, he stayed silent throughout the rest of the drive while pondering on what to say to her in the more comforting and warm environment of his home.

The van had pulled over outside the large, gated, two storey modern home. What it lacked in height, it made up for in width. A place Dru wasn't certain he could continue living in for much longer. Not with his new "career". He never had a real discussion with Kitten about what his recent choice meant. He was too intimidated too, but he felt that she probably pieced it together anyway. He was certain it was the reason, or at least part of the reason she's not treating Barbara like a friendly presence, much less part of the family. Barbara waited for Dru to press the intercom button at his side. His finger pushed the buzzer. He expected to hear a voice, but, to his surprise, the gates had already started to open. He shrugged as Barbara drove further toward the automatically opening garage doors. She drove the van into the brightly lit holding space. Wordlessly, she exited the driver's seat as the garage door started to close by itself behind her. Dru followed her as he wondered what to say while deciding that, for the present moment, it was better not to say anything at all.

They left the garage and entered the hall. Dru took in the welcoming smell of the familiar rose scented air spray Kitten liked to decorate the atmosphere with if she didn't feel like trying something new. He looked to Barbara as he walked down the corridor. To the right so he assumed she would be using the shower. He wasn't certain, but he imagined she was sweating at least almost as much as he was. He took a slight sniff at himself after raising an arm. Despite the strong rose smell around him, the scent of his own odour was still detectable to him. Once he heard the distant running water, he made a mental note to take a turn after her.

"Well?"

He turned to see the sight of his young, teen daughter. Frowning as she usually does these days. Her bright blonde hair shimmering in the corridor lighting, and her cotton pyjamas pink as usual. She had an expectant gleam in her eyes. A gleam he was used to seeing for years.

"Sorry, honey. Nothing tonight."

Her gleam had now been replaced by a dull, disappointed glare. A look he had only recently gotten used to seeing over the past couple of weeks.

"We could lose this place, dad, and you want to keep coming back here with nothing to make sure that doesn't happen!?"

Her nostrils were flaring up. Not a rare occurrence, but nevertheless a still unsettling one. Her eyes widen. As they typically do whenever she gets especially incensed.

"I know, honey, but this is safer than me risking arrest."

"Is that really you now, dad!? What happened to the Anti-Batman!? What happened to the badass who didn't care about being put in a cell!? what happened to Killer Moth!?"

Dru attempted to search within his memory for a kind of answer that could appease her. All he could think was to give her something to play with, but he wasn't exactly carrying much in the way of new toys. So, he decided to go for a fact instead.

"I'm still Killer Moth!"

"No! You're a wimp! A loser! A man who doesn't care that his own daughter's going to be homeless!"

Her words were an echo in his mind. Before he could come up with some sort of response, she was already stomping away from him down the hall. Likely to retreat to her room. The idea of pursuing her to try and assuage her concerns had crossed his mind, but he feared that further interaction with nothing to gift or a confident solution would only add more kindle to her fire. He sighs before leaning against the wall in thought. Now both the most important women in his life were in a dour mood thanks to him, but at least Barbara would eventually get over his mistake. Kitten concerned him.

He decided to move toward the shower where Barbara was washing. Believing that it would have calmed her by now. Dru waited outside the door as he heard the water keep running. It wasn't until a couple of minutes later when the water had stopped, and he soon saw Barbara walk out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a white towel around her body. Her hair was a little matted, but showed evidence of already treating it with towel rubbing. She looked to him with a casual expression. Though there was a frown albeit a small one. He knew that frown. It's the frown she had whenever she decided to utilise her mind for a long period of intense thinking.

He just hoped it wasn't about the gun.

"We need to try and get Selina to hand over the drive."

He almost wished it was about the gun.

"Um, I don't think she's going to make that easy."

"well, I'm not about to let her hand over evidence that could be extremely beneficial. So, she shouldn't expect "easy" from me either."

Dru was impressed by her zeal. Him being reminded of her passionate dedication to this personal mission she had made of herself had also reminded him that he had still not quite gotten to the bottom of her motivation.

"So, what is it about that drive really? You never told me who's life depends on it."

"Freedom actually."

He raised his brow in interest.

"Who's in trouble?"

"None other than the leading researcher of Lexcorp's bio tech department. Dr. Issac Eller. He was featured in some of the documents I showed you. Grey hair? A little on the big side?"

Dru nodded as he thought of the evidence Barbara had presented to him from her extensive and clandestine investigation of Lexcorp before this night. The photographic variety had some gruesome content within surprisingly sterile environments. He had seen quite the contrast between red, gore laden mess contrasted against white rooms with people in white coats observing their results. As difficult as it was, he paid attention to her findings. Just to give her some sort of validation.

That, and he was hoping she would get somewhere. It was quite distasteful knowledge to posses.

"He came up to the signal one night. Took me up on my invitation when I went to his place one night a couple of months before. That was when he was already getting antsy about his safety since one of his assistants was showing talent, and getting private meetings with Luthor."

"So, his position is being threatened?"

"That's almost certain. Especially, because he also saw Lex's lawyer army around the building recently. Thinks he's going be put on the stand soon to bear responsibility for certain unethical experimentation. Or his family's going to be the ones who suffer for his refusal to take the fall."

Dru had started to find this story a little confusing.

"Why not just keep him on board? Seems like a lot of trouble just to replace him."

"He.. doesn't have much of a choice," said Barbara as she nervously looked down while attempting to suppress the smirk slowly appearing on her lips. Dru could not help but have one of his own as realization slowly came to him.

"So... what did you do?"

"Well..." she said coyly while turning a foot on the carpet.

"... I may have decided to leak some of Lexcorp's dirty laundry on the net."

Dru's mouth made motion forming it into an amused smirk. Barbara's eyes looked up from the floor. Now not quite as coy as she was before.

"Well, I'd say that'd be a good reason to be worried about keeping your job."

"Well, it sort of worked. The heat is on the company, and they're preparing to throw a middle man under the bus, but I'd rather not just let them throw something at the media to appease them and soon forget about it."

"Then we better make sure that drive doesn't get to them. Only question is how to deal with Selina."

"I have a few ideas," said Barbara as she had a proud, almost devious look on her face. Dru did not need to think too long about what she could have in mind.

"Oh, not the kittens."

"She should know who she's working for. Then she won't be able to resist."

Dru shrugged. As certain as he was that he would feel a little bad about presenting such images that would almost certainly be torturous to someone like her, he was looking forward to seeing the look on her face after the clawing and kicking she had given him tonight.

"Well, if it works."

"Of course it will work," Barbara said confidently as she has a noticeable change in her viewing of Dru. He noted the lower gaze she had that seemed to keep getting lower as they spoke as if she was looking for something on him. With a raised brow, he decided to make further inquiry.

"What? I've had worse."

"Not that. Just the suit. It's doing a lot for those muscles of yours."

He gazes down at himself. He found the sight admirable, but not quite exciting, and certainly nothing all that impressive. He had seen men with much bigger.

"Thanks, but I'm not exactly a heavyweight."

"Much bigger than those, and you could see them moving like they're alive."

"You don't like that?"

"It's gross."

"I can't tell ya how much i saw Bane flexing 'em. I think he knew what he was doing. Always made me freak out a little. Not like, screaming or whatever, but it was really weird. I think he did it on purpose."

"I never got the appeal. He always gets, like, a mountain of letters from secret admirers at Blackgate," said Barbara as she gently pokes one of his toned biceps. He was not sure whether to laugh at her awkward curiosity or pretend it was having what he presumed was the desired effect on him.

"It's nothing you haven't seen before."

"But it's so tight."

"It certainly feels it."

As she continued her gentle poking, a smile spread across her mouth. Then more of her face. Leading Dru to wonder what she had in mind.

"Whatever idea you have, I'm all ears."

"Let's say that... there's a really bad man. For the past couple of months, he's been ambushing women alone in their homes at night and doing whatever he wants to them. And he always leaves them shaken, confused, and completely mesmerised by how good he is."

"Have you been reading Kitten's writing?" Asked Dru with a raised brow and a "not really taking this seriously" smile.

"Dru!" said Barbara exasperatedly as she gently thumps him with an elbow.

"Relax! I'm listening!"

Barbara let out a small, quiet "hmph!" Sound that Dru always greatly enjoyed hearing.

"Anyway, they're locking their doors, and windows because of him, but that doesn't stop him. He knows his way around locks and their bodies."

"Now I know you've been reading her fan fiction."

"Look, if you're not going to listen-"

He raised a hand in reassurance.

"I'll shut up now. Keep going."

Barbara raised a brow in questioning as he sheepishly smiled. With a sigh, she proceeds to narrate.

"One night, a certain irresistibly beautiful red head doesn't lock her doors and windows. She hasn't done so for quite a few nights. One night, decides to pay her a visit. Of course, the window isn't locked. He doesn't like it easy."

Dru started to like the scenario she was painting the more of it she described. With a small, growing smile.

"But...?" he inquired with growing curiosity.

"But little does he know, she's not planning on making it easy. Just the way he likes it."

Dru smiles a suggestive smile.

"what do you think? Too much?"

He gives her a pat on the shoulder.

"I think you should keep reading. I like the inspiration."

Barbara grins to him. Then looks to his arms.

"Of course, he wouldn't do much with an infection."

Dru looks down to his still bloodied arms. Awkwardly smirking.

"You kinda get used to getting your ass kicked."

"Come on," Said a now serious Barbara. "let's get to the kitchen."


End file.
